Practice makes perfect for Kitsap's SCA chapter

BREMERTON - Thirty men stand on a battlefield with swords and shields, ready for battle against Dave Peters. With this crowd, Peters is better known by his Society for Creative Anachronism name: Arion the Wanderer.

"I can take you!" Arion said. Moments later, he was struck down by an arrow.

This isn't the first time Peters has died on the battlefield — in fact, he was killed several times Tuesday during a re-enactment of a medieval war.

Peters, a Seabeck resident who is retired from his job as the Kitsap County recycling coordinator, is a member of the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Club members, who call their chapter Dragon's Laire, get together from 6 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday at VFW Post No. 4992 on Central Valley Road to practice fighting as well as arts and crafts.

For club members, there's a lot more to it than just dressing up and re-enacting combat. Most of them share a common interest in the history of medieval times.

"It's cool to be able to ... get your geek on with like-minded geeks," said Tammie Dupuis, aka Baroness Laurellen de Brandevin, who has been involved with SCA for 25 years. "Everyone here is interested in what I'm doing and likewise I'm interested in what they're doing."

Like many members of the club, Bryan Schnetter, aka Cedric Wlfraven, has invested years in learning skills and disciplines inspired by the time period.

"It's fun seeing people excelling at their passions," said Schnetter. "We have a passion for something, we want to share it with everybody."

Sharing requires meticulous research on the part of members of the club, who take pride in the accuracy of their characters and stories.

"We all research our own fields," said Peters. "If you ask anyone about their field, they will let you know anything you need to know about it."

For more information regarding the Barony of Dragon's Laire or the SCA visit DragonsLaire.org.